Community Forums

dpinvidic · 09-04-2016, 10:44 AM

My hope was that Jeep would correct their design problem for the Tow Wobble in the Cherokee's.

But I just checked the 2017 owners manual.
They now say it is NOT Flat Towable unless you get the "Flat tow Kit"...I am sure they will now charge for this on the new cars.

What troubles me is that this is such a Micky Mouse fix. This is the kind of fix a teenager might come up with because he can't afford a better fix.

Are you kidding me....I buy a brand new car, and in order to tow it, I have to open the hood and install a fuse (the console switch is acceptable).
Even though a "Charge Line" is a good thing, now it is "required" because the toad battery is only good for about 1/2 day when towing because the EPS is energized.

This is from the 2017 manual printed 8/2016

• Before towing, See your authorized dealer for the
Mopar flat tow wiring kit
• It is recommended to charge the battery of the
towed vehicle during recreational towing

Regards,

Dan

Mr_D · 09-04-2016, 10:49 AM

Well, they could just say "Not towable" and be done with it!
As per usual, if you don't like the answer, don't buy the product, it's simple.
Honda has decided that those of us towing their products are too small a percentage to bother with maybe Jeep will do the same?

corky.bailey · 09-04-2016, 06:45 PM

Agree with Mr Dee- GM is moving away from making their brand easy 4 flat. Face it, toads are not part of the focus of car manufacturers.

2014 Newmar Ventana 3436

spikecopilot · 09-05-2016, 07:39 PM

As a very loyal Subaru owner, I was very sad to see Subaru start saying in their manuals that you can't flat tow a manual Subaru anymore. That's why we went with a Jeep. My guess is that the towing population is very low, but the population of people who blow up their transmissions due to improper towing (because they are stupid) is relatively high, so they are just saying "NO" in order to avoid warranty claims.

I would have preferred to trade my Outback in for a manual Crosstrek vs. buying a third car, but ... Subaru forced our hand.

dpinvidic · 09-05-2016, 08:06 PM

Just my opinion, but I think that there are a lot of RV folks who really need to tow 4 down. I pay an arm & leg to store my coach, and don't want additional storage for a dolly.

Jeep is really the perfect vehicle to tow because of 4WD. The Wranglers are very popular, as are the Cherokees ( and GC) for those of use that want more comfort.

Personally, I modified my Flat Tow kit with an extra relay and indicator light.
When I tow, just connecting the electrical tow cable powers up the relays, and energizes the EPS. No switches or fuses to mess with.

I think Jeep should have done something like this as their fix, OR...find out why the Grand Cherokee does not have this problem...it as EPS.

Regards,

Dan

OverDo · 09-06-2016, 06:31 PM

I don't have a horse in this race but we are in the process of buying a new 3412 Ventana and will be looking for a TOAD for it. It sounds like "caster wobble" to me. The front suspension of most all vehicles have a lot of positive caster which aids with self centering the wheel and adds high speed stability when being driven. When being towed it is a negative - for the same reason. The force moving the vehicle (pulled versus pushed) changes the relative caster to negative which is inherently unstable and looks hard for any slack in the system and uses it up violently whenever it gets the chance. Hydraulic assisted gearbox power steering or manual gearbox steering usually has tight enough backlash in the system to remain stable. The electric power steering must have too much slack. If it is rack and pinion - which I assume it is - the problem will be hard to fix without leaving the steering system live. If dampers or shock absorbers can be added to the tie rods it should also solve the issue. Not knowing the system in detail I only speculate. If anyone here is old enough to have driven a solid axle pickup truck with loose kingpins you will have felt the same wobble. It violently shakes the whole front end of the truck and the only way to stop it is slam on the brakes or come to a near complete stop and start over. I'm not sure if this helps the problem but does try to explain it. There is a lot to be said for not having computers run so many systems on modern vehicles. I would bet that the older Jeeps either still have a hydraulic power gearbox and cross tie rod or hydraulic assisted rack and pinion. A possible band aid would be to put a couple of stiff tarp straps sideways from the steering wheel but it would be hard to balance them out and tire wear might become a problem. FWIW